The Greatest Books of All Time Set in Edinburgh

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This list represents a comprehensive and trusted collection of the greatest books. Developed through a specialized algorithm, it brings together 759 'best of' book lists to form a definitive guide to the world's most acclaimed books. For those interested in how these books are chosen, additional details can be found on the rankings page.

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Rank Book Authors Year Country Language Actions
169 The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie Muriel Spark 1961 British, Scottish English
531 The Wealth of Nations Adam Smith 1776 Scottish English
679 The Expedition of Humphry Clinker Tobias Smollett 1771 British English
1362 The Heart Of Midlothian Sir Walter Scott 1818 Scottish English
2208 Trainspotting Irvine Welsh 1993 Scottish English
3912 Salt On Our Skin Benoîte Groult 1988 French French
4898 The Theory Of Moral Sentiments Adam Smith 1759 Scottish English
5390 Selected Prose Thomas Carlyle 1800 British English
6334 The Worldly Philosophers Robert Heilbroner 1953 American English
6470 The Sound Of My Voice Ron Butlin 1987 British English
7197 Hide And Seek Ian Rankin 1991 British English
7215 The Journals Of James Boswell James Boswell 1791 British English
7842 Black And Blue Ian Rankin 1997 British English
7944 The Hanging Garden Ian Rankin 1998 British English
8266 A Caribbean Heiress In Paris Adriana Herrera 2022 American English
8324 The Night Sessions Ken MacLeod 2008 Scottish English
8671 Marabou Stork Nightmares Irvine Welsh 1995 British English
9143 Physics In My Generation Max Born 1968 German English
9372 Tales And Fantasies Robert Louis Stevenson 1905 British English
9609 Exit Music Ian Rankin 2007 British English
9881 The Gentleman’s Guide To Vice And Virtue Mackenzi Lee 2017 American English
9913 The Lost Jonathan Aycliffe 1996 British English
10702 Bring The House Down Charlotte Runcie 2025 Scottish English
10920 The Health Services Since The War Charles Webster 1988 British English
11304 Mysteries Of The Middle Ages Thomas Cahill 2006 American English
11611 The Cross Cultural Process In Christian History Andrew Walls 2002 Unknown English
11634 The Means Of Reproduction Michelle Goldberg 2009 American English
12655 The Butchering Art Lindsey Fitzharris 2017 British English
13129 Frankly Nicola Sturgeon 2025 Scottish English
13359 The Scottish Chiefs Jane Porter 1810 British English
13359 Marriage Susan Ferrier 1818 British English
13359 The Life Of Mansie Wauch David Macbeth Moir 1824 British English
14232 Knots and Crosses Ian Rankin 1987 British English
14983 The New Confessions William Boyd 1987 British English
15559 A Song For The Dark Times Ian Rankin 2020 British English
15641 The Judge Rebecca West 1922 British English
15857 Political Discourses David Hume 1752 British English
15897 Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism James Clerk Maxwell 1873 Scottish English
15897 Journal Of A Tour To The Hebrides James Boswell 1785 Scottish English
15897 A Journey To The Western Islands Of Scotland Samuel Johnson 1775 British English
16576 Catriona Robert Louis Stevenson 1893 Scottish English
17117 Fleshmarket Close Ian Rankin 2004 Scottish English
17117 44 Scotland Street Collection Alexander McCall Smith 2005 British English
17117 The Acid House Irvine Welsh 1994 British English
17117 Margaret Thatcher Charles Moore 2013 British English
17117 The Course Of Love Alain de Botton 2016 British English
17117 Children Of Paradise Camilla Grudova 2022 Canadian English
17117 Mary Queen Of Scotland And The Isles Margaret George 1992 American English
17117 Politics On The Edge Rory Stewart 2023 British English
17117 The Man With No Face Peter May 1981 British English
17117 Edinburgh Alexander Chee 2001 American English
17117 The Silk Roads Peter Frankopan 2015 British English
16867 Extraordinary Popular Delusions & The Madness Of Crowds Charles Mackay 1841 British English
17117 I Am, I Am, I Am Maggie O'Farrell 2017 British English
17117 The Wealth And Poverty Of Nations David S. Landes 1998 American English
16765 Immortal Queen Elizabeth Byrd 1956 American English
17117 I, Elizabeth Rosalind Miles 1993 British English
17117 Young Queens Leah Redmond Chang 2023 Unknown English
17117 Dead Man's Chest Nicholas Rankin 1987 Unknown English
17117 Johnson At 10 Anthony Seldon, Raymond Newell 2023 British English
17108 Maria Stuart Stefan Zweig 1935 Austrian German
17117 The Blade Artist Irvine Welsh 2016 British English
17117 Porno Irvine Welsh 2002 Scottish English
17117 Dead Men's Trousers Irvine Welsh 2018 Scottish English